China has beaten America’s trade warriors. Here’s the proof.

I do not believe this article to be entirely accurate in its assessments.

First off, factually by most measures, China isn't #2, they are #1 economically speaking, may that be PPP, manufacturing, etc. Their manufacturing base is about 80% LAREGR than ours.

But that aside, I think where this article misses the point entirely is that Trump practicing protectionism (an ugly pill to swallow for conservatives that want a free market) and Hegseth re-energizing the war industrial base, is all about "self-preservation." And that has been accomplished.

Without Trump doing what he did in hist first term, and to Bidens' credit more or less keeping the course for his 4 years (he made few changes regards Chinese trade), the US industrial and manufacturing base would be FAR WORSE off today. Additionally, product development, research and development is normally collocated with manufacturing for obvious reasons, and that too would have suffered.

China is going to stretch their wings out to the global South regardless of US tariffs. They are not going to pass that potential market up. The article made it sound like them expanding into the South (which they indeed are - I travel there and see the SURGE in Chinese products) happened because of Trump and tariffs etc. That is not even remotely the case. They would have expanded anyhow.

Playing "mind reader," but at least fairly certain for myself, Trump was trying to protect the remaining industry and manufacturing as well as some of the research and development which is based in the US. What happens in the global South he can't control.

Everything is made into a national security issue today by policy makers. I would argue MOST of the time this is invoked, like saving the children, it's complete BS.

But in this case it's real. Why? Our ability to wage and win wars is largely based on our industrial, manufacturing and tech. Lose those, and you just have a bunch of motivated corn-fed boys, holding broom handles pretending those are rifles, willing to die for their country.

We might not be able to keep up with China and they will likely outgrow us even in the last few metrics where we lead (GDP which does not take into account cost differences for example), but at least we will preserve much of the industry, manufacturing, and R&D base which is now remaining in the US. It's not just US firms that were leaving or left which is the problem. The Chinese have begun developing their own products, with their own firms, and it's EXTREMELY hard for us to compete with them: Huawei, ZTE, BYD (biggest EV manufacturer in the world), DJI (83% global market share by themselves - impressive), SMTCL, SMIC...

In some cases, you might even see some firms return to the US. And seeing how China is in reality our #1 military threat, even though much of our manufacturing will not return (cost prohibitive), it will to a great degree relocate to places like India, Thailand, etc. and not stay in China where in a conflict it could be weaponized against us.

Besides the national security aspect, it is manufacturing, industry, which created the middle class in America, and it is also their demise and rise of the service sector which has caused America to become a nation of extreme rich and the working poor.

Do you really believe what the Chinese Communist Party says ,LOL

It was so stupid to send our manufacturing base to China.
Not only we lost jobs, but Chinese promptly stole most of our Know-how, Us intellectual property and US patents.
I am not sure, we can fix that. China by now does not really need us, they got all what they need already.
Maybe, we should start learning mandarin?

It will all get much uglier. They are cutting off neodymium magnets and they only amounted to about $3-4B last year, so cutting them off hurts not at all.

In the meantime, we can’t build motors or generators.

Unless you think all the financial institutions doing the transactions, the shipping companies, the nations the Chinese export too and their statistics on trade, are all in on some great lie, yes.

People have been babbling about Chinese bubbles and market inefficiencies for the last two decades, and China just keep growing. Wishful thinking isn’t going to help in this situation.

Trump did the best he can, and his actions have already rippled across NAFTA:

https://mexicobusiness.news/trade-and-investment/news/mexico-imposes-50-tariffs-non-fta-imports (They may not say China 100 times in the article, but this targets China).

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/mexico-hike-tariffs-china-starting-thursday-2025-12-30/

If you go to Mexico today, 20% of all new car sales are Chinese brands (in a matter of about 3 years China commands 20%), the Chinese motorcycle Brand BDS is everywhere... This of course hurts the Mexicans also. But they would have NEVER done this on their own.

People can talk all the trash they want about Trump, but the guy is spot on.

ChiCom bump for later...

NO he isn’t. If you look at China’s export numbers to specific countries and verify them against those countries import numbers from China, they don’t match.

China greatly inflates their export numbers. The US trade deficit against China shrunk in 2025, but in 2024.

Here are the numbers and how they differ:

Metric (2024) United States official (USD) China official (converted to USD)
Exports to partner ~$143B (US → China) ~$750B (China → US)
Imports from partner ~$439B (US ← China) ~$230B (China ← US)
Bilateral balance –$295B US deficit +$520B China surplus

US numbers how a $295 billion dollar deficit, but China claims a $520 Billion surplus against the US.

Do you realize that Conservatives used to love tariffs. In fact the GOP was known as the party of the tariff. Globalist hijacked the GOP post wwii and crammed duty free trade down our throats.

For Patriots free trade was the bitter pill.

Learn history.

Thank God for Trump and the tariff.

Do you really believe what the Chinese Communist Party says ,LOL

Exactly. Why would anyone believe numbers posted by China? They lie all the time. The CCP is trying to stay in power, amid numerous crises at home.

We do not know how those numbers are generated, or by what standards.

We hardly find U.S. bureaucracy to be truthful, and they do not have the incentives to lie which the CCP has.

We don't even have a finalized trade deal with the chicoms. They don't care. They will and can do nothing while we run around saying things are complete or done. We slapped the lowest tariff rate on them.

Vance and crew aren't touring small businesses everyday being created from chinese tariffs right now. Admin has lost the plot on tariffs, from stopping drugs and creating businesses here to revenue generation.

Never believe a damn thing a commie says.

If you believe that one way practice of free trade is weonderful, I suggest that you go out and give your possesions away, and see how tthat works in reality. <>p It wasn't that we practiced free trade, it was the fact that we possessed the most awesome industrrial production engine that ever existed, and we gave that away, in order to get cheaper labor because the world really couldn't afford our top quality products.

I have a good friend who was just like you, until he was forced to understand that the free trade was one-sided and that every nation was riping us off.

Ths firend I am talking about is no dummy. He was just so brainwashed that he failed to see we were destroying ourselves upon the alter of free trade.

Milton Fedman was correct back whe he said this, but it was because we stood alone in in creativity and we had a stron economic engige that made free trade possible. we also had a large middle class that still was able to purchase the cheaper goods which provide them a better to have some of the items by cheaper prices.

That reality no longer esists due to the stupidity of continuing don the failing path we were on expecting it to last forever. You still haven't accepted reality, most likely because you made a bundle that bypassed others abilities or intelligence to share the success you enjoyed. That was the problem my friend had.

Apparentlyy the truth is a bitter pill for you to swallow, not us. Wich is why we are working towards the goal of rebuilding our industrial powerhouse once again.. Educating out fuuture,, the children, to once again become productive people.